Delhi may soon get first vehicle scrapping unit
New Delhi: The capital is likely to get a registered vehicle scrapping facility (RVSF) to dismantle overaged vehicles in a scientific manner. At its recent meeting, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee categorised vehicle dismantling units as an orange category industry and said it would give consent to any private entity planning to operate such units. Officials said DPCC would authorise these units under various rules, including those on the management of hazardous waste, e-waste and plastic waste. At present, Delhi has no such scrapping units. To reduce vehicular pollution, the transport department is acting against end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) and sending the seized ones to RVSF in the neighbouring states. All petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles more than 10 years old are considered ELVs. The Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal have directed that registration and plying or deemed plying (parked in public space) of ELVs must be restricted. At its board meeting on Sept 27, DPCC observed, "It was decided that in view of the age limits prescribed by the central govt for deregistering overaged vehicles, the number of vehicles to be scrapped in a scientific manner is increasing. The committee is of the view that if such facilities are not allowed in Delhi, illegal units will flourish in residential or non-conforming areas without any pollution control. As the activity is a service industry and also helps in the circular economy, consent may be granted to such units in approved industrial areas." RVSFs will be an orange category industry in Delhi. Based on the level of pollution involved, CPCB categorises industry in four colours — red, orange, white and green, the last being least polluting. A DPCC official said since there is a plan to impound ELVs on a large scale this winter and given the jump in electric vehicles, the board decided to permit RVSFs in Delhi. "Any private entity with access to land in an industrial area and capital can apply for consent to operate. Monitoring of air and water in the locality, especially for lead, will be undertaken by DPCC," said the official. Out of around 50 lakh ELVs in the city, 15,401 have been impounded so far in 2023 and 2024. The Commission for Air Quality Management informed the Supreme Court that although harvest stubble burning has reduced by half in the last three years, the large fleet of ELVs in these states accentuated the pollution. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, said, "A well-organised scrappage infrastructure is an integral part of any fleet renewal policy and schemes to replace the older vehicles with new and e-vehicles. While this can reduce emissions from the older and polluting vehicles, it also helps recover material from the old fleet for reuse while preventing toxic contamination of the environment." Roychowdhury added that even as the scrappage infrastructure was expanded, efficient implementation had to ensure proper identification of all ELVs and that they reached RVSFs.
